Lancaster to leave big void

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bell City senior Codie Lancaster said that with standout freshman Jasmine Johnson, the Cubs have an opportunity to return to the state tournament for the next three years.

"I think they can do it if they all work hard and they realize that they can," Lancaster said. "Jasmine will probably be a big part of it. If someone gets in there and sets the ball and passes the ball, I'm sure they will do really good."

Bell City swept Santa Fe 25-20, 25-13 on Saturday morning to win third place in Class 1 at the Municipal Auditorium.

Johnson continued to show that she is an impressive freshman throughout the two-day state tournament. She posted 17 kills and eight digs in the sweep of Santa Fe. She recorded 461 kills and 500 digs this season.

She is a big reason why the Cubs made the state tournament, and is the type of player with the talent and physical ability to bring the Cubs back to state.

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.comCoach Erin Hoffman hugs senior Sherilyn Long after completing the season by placing third in the state.

Johnson had such a powerful kill against Santa Fe to give her team a 19-16 lead during the first game that every Bell City player, on the bench and the court, leaped in excitement. Johnson's hard hitting energizes the entire team.

Still, Lancaster has helped Johnson this year by placing the ball where Johnson is able to smash powerful kills.

And Lancaster said that if someone steps up to pass and set the ball, Johnson could help this team to state each of the next three years.

Finding someone to be the setter, who will be able to perfectly place the ball for Johnson, could be the most important decision the Cubs make this offseason.

"It doesn't really matter how much defense or how much offense you have if you don't have a setter," Bell City coach Erin Hoffman said.

Hoffman knows replacing Lancaster will be difficult.

"Obviously, you can't replace Codie," Hoffman said. "It's an interesting situation, especially with Codie. I threw her in there as a freshman over some older girls that I had. So the option is open to everybody. ... I've always got eighth-graders. We've got our junior high season in the spring, so it could be a Codie-like situation."

While someone might walk in as a freshman and take the job next year in the same manner Lancaster did four years ago, Hoffman already began to prepare for Lancaster's departure with her current group of players.

"It could be a lot of different people," Lancaster said about next year's setter. "Coach Hoffman told me my job this year was to lead my team and also train a setter for next year."

Lancaster mentioned three names of candidates to replace her. She has worked with both junior defensive specialist Ashley Green and junior starting outside hitter Alicia Slagley this season. She also mentioned that freshman starting defensive specialist Trisha Slagley might get a shot after playing some setter in past years.